Fastener separating and distributing mechanisms



y 1963 K. 1.. PETERSON 3,095,999

FASTENER SEPARATING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISMS Filed June 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Kennel/1 LPeter'son By his Azfzforn e11 y 1963 K. L. PETERSON 3,095,999

FASTENER SEPARATING AND DISTRIBUTING MECHANISMS Filed June 17, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E a Z 'r E v I Ii I: I 111': If. If. I: 432

aggw U u L1 Q rates Free 3,095,999 FASTENER SEPARATENG AND DISTRIBUTiNG MECHANESMS Kenneth L. Peterson, Bayport, Minn, assignor, by mesne assignments, to United Shoe Machinery Corporation,

Boston, Mass, a corporation of New Jersey Filed June 17, 1960, Ser. No. 36,947 12 Claims. (Cl. 221233} This invention relates to fastener inserting and more particularly to mechanisms for separating fasteners from raceways and distributing them to inserting tools. Devices for separating fasteners one at a time from a single supply raceway and feeding them, also one at a time, to a single inserting tool are well known in the art. It is also well known to separate a multiplicity of fasteners simultaneously from a plurality of raceways and distribute them to a corresponding number of inserting tools. Multiple separation is often accomplished by a single reciprocating plate having a plurality of picker mechanisms as found, for example, in devices for separating nails or tacks for delivery to drivers of machines which secure heels to partially fabricated shoes. Where it is essential that all of the fasteners be driven simultaneously they must reach the inserting tools or drivers at substantially the same time. However, this requirement is encountered relatively infrequently. In the majority of applications, however, a finite delay can be tolerated in the arrival of fasteners at the driving tools thus rendering unnecessary the elaborate and costly mechanism required for simultaneously picking and delivering. An obvious saving will take place if the number of supply raceways can be reduced, particularly if a single raceway can be employed to feed a plurality of drivers at a rapid rate.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and inexpensive machine for separating a plurality of fasteners from a single raceway and distributing them to more than one inserting tool.

It is another object of this invention to provide a machine for separating fasteners from a single raceway and distributing them to a plurality of inserting tools with sufhcient speed whereby the delay between the delivery of the first fastener and the last is a small proportion of the over-all operating cycle of the inserting tools.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a device adapted to be used with existing fastener feeding raceways for separating a selected number of fasteners from the raceway and distributing them to a plurality of inserting tools, which device utilizes a single reciprocating separating member.

In accordance with these objects and as a feature of this invention, there is provided a mechanism for distributing fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools which is adapted to remove a plurality of fasteners from a single downwardly inclined raceway. The mechanism includes a sloping transfer plate mounted for reciprocation across the lowermost end of the raceway. A slot formed in the plate transversely of its axis of reciprocation is of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners. Motor means are provided for reciprocating the transfer plate laterally across the lower end of the raceway. A stationary cam member which is mounted in close proximity to the transfer plate engages the lowermost fastener in the slot urging all the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot. Spaced above the transfer plate and laterally from the raceway are a plurality of conduits each leading to a separate fastener inserting tool. A guiding plate which slopes downwardly and away from the upper edge of the transfer plate is provided with a plurality of fastener guiding passageways each of which leads to a conduit. Hence, as the transfer plate is reciprocated, the cam urges the fasteners out of the slot one at a time and. into the guideways from which they drop into the conduits. The conduits are spaced in pre determined relationship and if the transfer plate is permitted to move the full length of their spacing all of the conduits will receive a fastener. However, means in the form of levers mounted for movement separately and together into the path of an abutment depending from the transfer plate are provided to stop the lateral movement of the plate before all of the fasteners have been cammed out of the slot whereby less than all of the conduits will be fed with fasteners. The appropriate selection of the number of levers moved into operative position determines the number of conduits which will be fed.

The above and other features of the invention including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular machine embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in varied and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a separating and delivering machine embodying the invention which operatively connects a single supply hopper and raceway to a plurality of inserting tools;

FIG. 2 is a plan view on enlarged scale of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with parts of the machine in different operative positions;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line VV of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIG. 1, the invention is shown embodied in a fastener separating and distributing mechanism 2 which receives fasteners from a continuously operating supply hopper 4 and which delivers the fasteners one at a time to a plurality of inserting tools 6. The fasteners, which are for convenience illustrated as screws, are not restricted thereto but could as well be nails, rivets, bolts, etc. The hopper 4 which forms no part of this invention could be any conventional delivery mechanism for supplying fasteners to a raceway. The illustrated hopper 4 is similar to that shown in US. Patent No. 2,819,465, is sued January 14, 1953, to D. B. Mcllvin. Similarly, the inseting tools 6 may be nail drivers, riveting tools or the like and also form no part of the invention per se.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 2 through 5, the separating and distributing device 2 comprises a main body or block 8 of irregular configuration which is secured to any convenient supporting frame 10. Fasteners are supplied continuously to the device 2 from a down- Wardly inclined raceway 12 which is filled from the delivery hopper 4. A transfer plate 14 is mounted for sliding movement in a guideway 16 in the upper surface of the body 8. The plate slopes downwardly generally parallel to the raceway. Movement is imparted to the plate 14 by any convenient means such as an air motor 18 which is shown secured to the frame 10 by a bracket 19. The air motor, which may be of any standard commercial design, is illustrated only schematically and comprises a cylinder 20 containing a double acting piston 22 connected by a rod '24 to a bar 26 attached to the left-hand end of the transfer plate. Alternate pressurization and evacuation of the opposite ends of the cylinder 20 causes the piston 22 to reciprocate in conventional manner.

A slot or cavity 28 of suificient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners is formed in the plate 14 transversely of its axis of reciprocation. The slot is defined in part by a substantially U-shaped bracket 30 secured to the undersurfacc of the plate 14. When the plate 14 is in the position shown in FIG. 2, the slot 28 is in fastener receiving location in alignment with a stationary raceway slot 32 which is a continuation of the raceway 12. In this position fasteners in the raceway are free to slide by gravity into the slot 28.

Mounted above, and also serving to hold the plate 14 in the guideway 16, is a stationary camming plate 40. Conventional slot and screw connections 42 mount the plate 40 for adjustment on the body 8. The plate 40 is formed with a first fastener engaging surface 44 which is in alignment with the raceway slot 32 whereby when the plate 14 is in the FIG. 2 position, the head of the lowermost fastener in the slot 28 engages the surface 44. Contiguous with the first surface 44 is a beveled camming surface 46 which, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, extends obliquely to the major axis of the plate 14 and slopes downwardly opposite to the general slope of the plate. It will be seen that as the slide is moved from the FIG. 2 to the FIG. 3 position, the lowermost fastener in the slot 28 engages the camming surface 46 which urges not only it but all the fasteners in the slot upwardly opposite to the direction in which they entered the slot 28. When this transfer movement takes place, the upper edge 48 of the plate 14 engages the lowermost fastener then in the raceway slot, as seen in FIG. 3, retaining the remaining fasteners in the raceway slot 32 until the slot 28 in the transfer plate 14 becomes realigned therewith.

Directly beneath the plate 14 the block or body 8 is relieved in the area designated 50 to accomomdate the depending shanks of the fasteners carried by the slot 28. Adjacent the upper edge of the plate 14, as seen in FIG. 4, the block is also relieved as at 51. A plurality of drop tubes 52 having slotted openings 54 are uniformly spaced in the block 8 laterally of the raceway 12. Secured to the lower ends of the drop tubes 52 are fastener conduits 56 each leading to one of the inserting tools 6. The tubes, which may for the purpose of this invention be considered part of the conduits, are designated in the drawings as a, b, c, d, e and f, reading from left to right, respectively. A fastener guiding plate 58 is located adjacent the upper edge of the transfer plate 14 and is inclined downwardly away from the plate. A plurality of curved fastener guideways 59 are formed in the guiding plate 58 and each leads to a drop tube 52. When the fasteners are cammed out of the slot 28, they slide by gravity suspended by their heads on the plate 58 down the guideways 59 entering the drop tubes 52 and then pass by gravity to the inserting tools. The oblique angle of the cam plate 40 and the lateral spacing of the passageways 59 are correlated so that each fastener is cammed out of the plate in exact alignment with the opening of a guideway 59. The beveled fastener engaging surface 46 is downwardly inclined toward the drop tubes to facilitate the fasteners passing from the slot 28 into the guideways.

The illustrative embodiment of the tool is shown as capable of providing fasteners for six inserting tools. It is obvious that this number may be increased or decreased by using larger or smaller machines. However, without building separate machines if it is desired to feed less than six tools, means are provided for limiting the extent of reciprocating movement of the transfer plate 14. Normally the length of the reciprocating stroke of the plate 14 is equal to the stroke of the piston 22. To reduce the length of the stroke there is depending from the right-hand end of the slide 14 an abutment or boss 60 and pivotally secured by a screw 62 threaded in the block 8 are a plurality of stops in the form of arms mounted to engage the abutment 60 to restrict left-hand movement of the plate 14. While the number of stops may total one less than the number of drop tubes, the illustrative machine is shown having only two such stops or arms 64 and 66. The arms have handles 68 and 70, respectively, and normally are placed in a depressed or inoperative position illustrated by arm 64 in FIG. 5. The arms are yieldingly held together by a spring-biased detent 72 in an enlarged portion 73 of the arm 64 which engages a depression 74 in the arm 66. A detent 78 in the block 8 projects to the right and is engage-able in a depression 80 in the arm 66 to maintain it and all arms attached to it in the upper or operative position. The arms operate in the following manner. When it is desired to supply fasteners to all six of the inserting tools, the arms are lowered in their inoperative position below the path of movement of the abutment or boss 60. When it is desired, for example, to supply fasteners to five of the six tools, the arm 66 is elevated to the operative position as seen in FiGS. 3 and 5, wherein the detent 78 engages the depression 80. The arm then is in position to contact the left-hand surface of the abutment 60 as shown in FIG. 3 which assures that the lowermost fastener in the slot 28 will never reach the drop tube or since the lefthand movement of the transfer plate 14 will stop before the slot 23 reaches the guideway 59 leading to the tube a. Should, however, it be desired to supply four of the six inserting tools, the arm 64 is also elevated into operative position whereupon the detent 72 will maintain it in engagement with the arm 66 which in turn is maintained in elevated position by the detent 78. The width of the enlarged portion 73 on the arm 64, as well as the width or lateral spacing of all of the arms, corresponds to the lateral spacing of the drop tubes 52. When the right-hand surface of the portion 73 is engaged by the left-hand surface of the abutment 60, the movement of the transfer plate 14 will stop before the slot 28 becomes aligned with the guideway 59 leading to the drop tube b. It is obvious therefore that by the addition of the appropriate number of stops to a maximum of one less than the number of drop tubes, any number of fastener inserting tools from one to six may be fed from a single raceway and hopper.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, an inclined chute fastener supplying raceway, a plurality of conduits adjacent said raceway and each leading to an inserting tool, a transfer plate having a single fastener cavity for receiving fasteners from the raceway, said cavity being of sufiicient length to accommodate at the same time at least as many fasteners as there are conduits, means for actuating said transfer plate to move from a position where said fasteners enter said cavity from said raceway to positions where said fasteners are deposited in said conduits and means operative in response to movement of the transfer plate for removing fasteners from the cavity one at a time and depositing them each in a separate conduit.

2. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination an inclined chute fastener supplying raceway, a plurality of conduits adjacent said raceway and each leading to an inserting tool, a transfer plate having a single slot for receiving fasteners, said slot being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, means for actuating said transfer plate to move from a position where said fasteners enter said cavity from said raceway to positions where said fasteners are deposited in said conduits and a cam member engageable with the endmost fastener contained in said slot to urge the fasteners out of said slot and each into a separate conduit as the plate moves away from the fastener receiving position.

3. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a fastener supplying raceway, a plurality of conduits adjacent said raceway and each leading to an inserting tool, a transfer plate having a single slot for receiving fasteners, said slot being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, means for reciprocating the transfer plate from a fastener receiving position, where fasteners from the raceway enter the slot, through a delivery cycle, where fasteners from the slot can enter the conduits, and back to the fastener-receiving position, a cam member engageable with the endmost fastener contained in said slot to urge the fasteners out of said slot and each into a separate conduit as the plate moves away from the fastener receiving position, and selective means for terminating the reciprocation of the plate before all of the fasteners have been cammed from the slot whereby less than all the conduits will be fed with fasteners.

4. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a single inclined chute raceway, a sloping transfer plate mounted for reciprocation across the lowermost end of the raceway, the plate having a slot extending downwardly and transvcrsely of its axis of reciprocation and of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, a cam member engageable with the lowermost fastener in the slot and formed to urge the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot as the transfer plate is reciprocated, a plurality of conduits adjacent the upper edge of the transfer plate and laterally spaced from the raceway, each conduit leading to an inserting tool, and means for reciprocating the plate from a fastener receiving position with the slot aligned with the raceway to successive positions with the slot opposite the conduits, whereby the cam urges one fastener into each conduit as the plate reciprocates.

5. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a fastener supplying raceway, a plurality of conduits adjacent said raceway and each leading to an inserting tool, a transfer plate, said plate having a single slot for receiving fasten-ers, said slot being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, a plurality of fastener guideways adjacent the transfer plate, each guideway leading to a conduit, means for reciprocating said transfer plate from a fastener-receiving position, where said fasteners can enter said slot from said raceway, through a delivery cycle, where said fasteners can be deposited into said guidewtays and a cam member engageable with the endmost fastener contained in the slot to urge the fasteners out of the slot and into the guideways one at a time as the plate reciprocates.

6. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a single downwardly inclined raceway, a sloping transfer plate mounted for reciprocation across the lowermost end of the raceway, the plate having a slot extending downwardly and transversely of its axis of reciprocation and of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, a cam member engageable with the lowermost fastener in the slot to urge the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot as the transfer plate is reciprocated, a plurality of conduits adjacent the upper edge of the transfer plate and laterally spaced from the raceway, each conduit leading to an inserting tool, means for reciprocating the plate from a fastener receiving position with the slot aligned with the raceway to successive positions with the slot opposite the conduits, whereby the cam urges one fastener into each conduit, and means for shortening the reciprocating stroke of the transfer plate whereby less than all of the conduits will be fed with fasteners.

7. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a single downwardly inclined raceway, a sloping transfer plate having a slot extending downwardly and transversely of its upper edge and of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, a plurality of conduits laterally spaced from the raceway, each conduit leading to an inserting tool, a guiding plate adjacent the upper edge of the transfer plate and sloping downwardly away from said transfer plate, a plurality of fastener guideways in the guiding plate each leading to a conduit, means for reciprocating the transfer plate from a fastener-receiving position, where fasteners from the raceway enter the slot, through a delivery cycle, where fasteners from the slot can enter the guideways, and back to the fastener-receiving position, and a cam member engageable with the lowermost fastener in the slot to urge the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot and each into a separate guidcway as the transfer plate is reciprocated.

8. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a fastener supplying raceway, a plurality of conduits adjacent said raceway and each leading to an inserting tool, a transfer plate having a single slot for receiving fasteners, said slot being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, means for reciprocating the transfer plate from a fastener-receiving position, where fasteners from the raceway enter the slot, through a delivery cycle, where fasteners from the slot can enter the conduits, and back to the fastener-receiving position, a cam member engageable with the endmost fastener contained in said slot to urge the fasteners out of said slot and each into a separate conduit as the plate reciprocates, an abutment depending from the transfer plate, and a stop manually movable into the path of the abutment to arrest the movement of the plate before all of the fasteners have been cammed out of the slot whereby less than all of the conduits will be fed with fasteners.

9. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a fastener supplying raceway, a plurality of conduits laterally spaced from the raceway a predetermined distance and each leading to an inserting tool, a transfer plate, said plate having a single slot for receiving fasteners, said slot being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, means for actuating said transfer plate between a fastener-receiving position, where said fasteners can enter said slot from said raceway, and positions where said fasteners can be deposited into said conduits, and a cam member engagoable with the endrnost fastener contained in said slot to urge the fasteners out of said slot and each into a separate conduit as the plate reciproeates, an abutment depending from the transfer plate, and a plurality of stops mounted for movement separately and together into the path of said abutment at positions which are laterally spaced corresponding to the spacing of the conduits, said stops being engage able with the abutment before all of the fasteners have been cammed out of the slot whereby less than all of the conduits will be fed with fasteners.

10. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a single downwardly inclined raceway, a sloping transfer plate having a top edge coplanar with the top surface of the raceway, means for reciprocating the plate across the lowermost end of the raceway, the plate having a slot extending downwardly and transversely of its axis of reciprocation and of a suflicient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, the slot being so positioned on the transfer plate that when the transfer plate is in the article-receiving position the slot is aligned with and forms a continuation of the naceway, a plurality of conduits laterally spaced from the raceway a predetermined distance, each conduit leading to an inserting tool, a guiding plate adjacent the upper edge of the transfer plate and sloping downwardly away from said transfer plate, a plurality of fastener guideways in the guiding plate each leading to a conduit, a cam member engageable with the lowermost fastener in the slot to urge the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot and each into a separate guideway as the transfer plate is reciprocated, an abutment depending from the transfer plate, and a plurality of stops mounted for movement separately and together into the path of said abutment at positions which are laterally spaced corresponding to the spacing of the conduits, said stops being engageable with the abutment to arrest the movement of the plate before all of the fasteners have been carnmed out of the slot whereby less than all of the conduits will be fed with fasteners.

11. A machine for feeding fasteners to "a plurality of inserting tools having, in combination, a downwardly inclined raceway, a sloping transfer plate at the lower end of the raceway, the plate having a slot extending downwardly from its upper edge and transversely of its axis of reciprocation to receive fasteners from the raceway, said slot being of sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, a plurality of conduits laterally spaced from the raceway at predetermined distances, each conduit leading to an inserting tool, a guiding plate adjacent the upper edge of the transfer plate and sloping downwardly away from said transfer plate, a plurality of fastener guideways in the guiding plate each leading to a conduit, means for reciprocating said transfer plate between a fastener-receiving position where said fasteners can enter said slot from said raceway to positions where said fasteners can be deposited into said guideways and a cam member engageable with the lowermost fastener in the slot to urge the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot and each into a separate guideway as the transfer plate is reciprocated.

12. A machine for feeding fasteners to a plurality of inserting tools having, a combination, a downwardly inclined raceway, a sloping transfer plate, the plate having a slot extending downwardly and transversely of its axis of reciprocation and of a sufficient length to accommodate a plurality of fasteners at the same time, a plurality of conduits laterally spaced from the raceway a predetermined distance, each conduit leading to an inserting tool, means for reciprocating said transfer plate between a fastener-receiving position, where said fasteners can enter said slot from said raceway to positions Where said fasteners can be deposited into said conduits and a cam member engageable with the lowermost fastener in the slot to urge the fasteners gradually upwardly of the slot and each into a separate conduit as the transfer plate is reciprocated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,572 Gruendel Mar. 3, 1896 1,183,084 La Porte May16, 1916 1,334,326 Strane Mar. 23, 1920 1,429,359 Maranville Sept. 19, 1922 1,588,594 Lawson et al. June 15, 1926 2,657,404 Kasper Nov. 3, 1953 2,662,646 McCain Dec. 15, 1953 

1. A MACHINE FOR FEEDING FASTENERS TO A PLURALTY OF INSERTING TOOLS HAVING, IN COMBINATION, AN INCLINED CHUTE FASTENER SUPPLYING RACEWAY, A PLURALITY OF CONDUITS ADJACENT SAID RACEWAY AND EACH LEADING TO AN INSERTING TOOL, A TRANSFER PLATE HAVING A SINGLE FASTENER CAVITY BEING OF SUFFICIENT LENGTH TO ACCOMMODATE AT THE SAME TIME AT LEAST AS MANY FASTENERS AS THERE ARE CONDUITS, MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID TRANSFER PLATE TO MOVE FROM A POSITION WHERE SAID FASTENERS ENTER SAID CAVITY FROM SAID RACEWAY TO POSITIONS WHERE SAID FASTENERS ARED DEPOSITED IN SAID CONDUITS AND MEANS OPERATIVE IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT 